मेरो देश खोज्दै

सडकहरू सुन-सान छन । सुर्यदेवलाई धन्यबाद् दिन्छु । मेरा कानहरू बिहान-बेलुकी सडक, पत्रिका, टि.भी, रेडियोमा गुन्जिने आवाजहरूले कसो बहिरा भएनन् ।  सबै जातले आफ्नो आफ्नो राज्य माग्दै गर्दा म यो चर्को घाममा मेरो देश खोज्दै छू ।

मेरो देश जहाँ म ब्राह्मनको छोरो, छिमेकी राईनी आमैलाई ठुली आमै भनेर पुकार्थें । पल्लो कोठामा जाडको घ्याम्पो हुन्थ्यो र वल्लो कोठामा मलाइ दुध चिउरा दिन्थिन । उनी परलोक गएको ८-१० बर्ष भो, उनसंगै मेरो देश'नी कता गयो कता !    मेरो देशमा कहाँ लेक मा कुनै एउटा मान्छे मर्दा, बेसिमा हाम्रा बौ-बाजे गनगन् गर्थे । मानो- पाथी थियो, K.G  भन्ने थाहा थिएन  । झुपडी थिए, पक्का घर मुस्किलले भेटिन्थ्यो । गरीब थिए तर पेट भोको कसैको थिएन । ठुला- ठुला परिवार हुन्थे, सानो परिवार सुखी परिवार भन्ने थिएन । पाउरोटी सुनेका थियौं, खान हुन्न भन्थे । मकैको रोटी या कोदाको ढीडो जिब्रो फट्काइ-फट्काइ खान्थ्यौं । बा'ले शहर घुमाउन ल्याउदा झिलिमिली थियो, रमाइलो थियो । शहर सफा  थियो । बागमती नी नुहाउन लगे; हाम्रो गाऊँको खोलो जस्तै सफा थियो ।

हा ! मेरो देश, कठै ! मेरो देश । गर्छु भन्नेले नी' गरि खान पाउने भएनन् । हरेक दिन बन्द छ, चर्का नाराहरू छन् । गर्मीले पोल्न थालेपछी म एउटा रुखको छहारिमा बस्न खोज्छु । एउटा पागल छेउमै बसेर फत्फताउदै थियो । मलाइ देखेपछी उ झन् झन् चर्को स्वोरले कराउन थाल्यो । अरु दुई चार रमितेहरू कुरा सुन्न थपिए ।

"मेरो राज्य ६०१ दलालहरूले बेच्दै छन् । तीनलाई तैं चोरहरूले देश् बेच्न पठाएको हो । त्यहाँ नाइके जति सब ब्राह्मन जातको छ बुझिस । " म स्तब्ध भएँ । कोइराला, भट्टराई, दाहाल, पौडेल, वली, नेपाल जस्ता केहीले ब्राह्मनको परिभासा फेरिदिएछन । ब्राह्मन कुनै जात होईन । ब्राह्मन सत्य हो, ब्राह्मन भक्तिमा लिप्त हुनुको अवस्था हो । ब्राह्मन ज्ञान हो, तत्वबोध हो ।   जो ब्राह्मन हो, उसका लागि जिब, निर्जिब सब समान हो । मैले भनेको छु, म ब्राह्मनको छोरो हो, स्वयम् ब्राह्मन होईन । 

"  सुक्रे पनि त यही रहेछ ।"   त्यहि हुलबाट परिचित अनुहारहरू देखा पर्छन । चिनेकाहरूले सुक्रे भनेर बोलाउछन । सुक्रात पनि बहुलाहा जस्ता थिए रे, म नी त्यस्तै छु रे ! म रातो पिरो हुन्छु । मनमनै डर लागेर आउछ । कतै देश खोज्नु पागलपन त होईन ? मलाइ अब यिनले थाहा पाए भने के  भन्लान् ?  

   साना- साना भुराहरूलाई बाबु- राजा भन्छन्, आइस्यो र गैस्यो भन्न सिकाउछन यो सहरमा । हाम्रा गाऊमा बेलुका आगनको डीलबाट " ए राडी- मुर्दारहो तिमीहरूलाई घिच्न पर्दैन ? छिट्टो मर त" भनेर खाना खान बोलाउछन अधिकान्स आमाहरू । तर शहरका बाबु- राजाहरूमा न बा- आमा प्रति, न समाज प्रति न देश प्रति कुनै लगाव छ । हाम्रा गाऊका राडी- मुर्दार धेरै जिम्मेवार र परिपक्व छन् । ती पनि म जस्तै "एकादेस"को मेरो देश खोज्दै होलान् । के म लगायत ती सबै पागल होलान् त ?

मेरो देश नेताहरूको जातिय राजनितीको हतीयार बन्दै छ । म कोँगो, रुवान्डाको जातिय द्वन्दका दर्दनिय कथाहरू सम्झन थाल्छु । म भाव सुन्य हुन्छु ।

  "ओइ सुक्रे भाई कता हिंडेको । अनी कतै नहेरी हिंडेको छौ त ?" लामा दाइको पसल अगाडी आइपुगेछु । डल्ले- डल्ले यी दाई, तमाङ लामा हुन् । यो सहरमा पढ्न बसेदेखी साँझपख गफ गर्दै चुरोट खाने गर्छौ हामी । अरु पनि बन्दले गर्दा त्यहि आएका रहेछन् । चुरोटको धुवा संगै जीवनका सूख- दु:ख देखि बाटोमा हिड्ने तरुनीलाई संगै बसेर जिस्काउदै धेरै बर्षका साँझहरू यहाँ बितेको छ ।  

 "त्यो संबिधान सभा भवनमा गएर बम पद्काइदिउ न ।" छेउमै उभिएका फर्निचर पसलका मधेसी दाईले कुरो अगाडी बढाए । त्यहाँ नी' मेरो देश खोज्दै रहेछन् सबै ।

" त्यसो गर्नु हुन्न । त्यति राम्रो भवन छ । नेपालमा फेरि त्यस्तो भवन बनाउने कोहि राम्रो मान्छे जन्मेला जस्तो छैन । तीनलाई देश निकाला गर्नु पर्छ ।" अर्का लोकसेवामा खर्दारको जाँच दिएर बसेका मास्टर साप बोले ।

"हाम्रो सुक्रे भाईको केही भन्नु छ की ?" त्यसै घरका घरबेटी दाईले सोधे ।

"मेरो देशको साशनको बागडोर  जनताको हाथमा हुनुपर्छ दाइ । दुई चारवटा पार्टीको काने-खुसिको भरमा राज्य चलिरह्यो भने यो भन्दा धेरै दुखदायी दिनहरू आउनेछन ।" म यति भन्दै चुप रहिरहे । सबै स्तबध भए । मौन स्विक्रिती जनाए । शायद म जस्तै यी पनि आफ्नो देश खोज्दै छन् ।  

              

       

Most Unwanted People

I do not like politics. Being a citizen of a country where politicking is an essential component for people from all walks of life; every circumstances encourages a person here to hate politics, to believe that it is a dirty game.Should I change my opinion? How would it look like if I try seeing it from a different perspective? I have been asking these questions for  few days.

The impingement of wrong political values in every spheres of Nepalese society have set forth wrong notion against politics among a  mass. We have been cheesed off by political diaspora of the country. The recent rise of bandhs( strike) and the voices coming from behind these suggest a political turmoil of a different nature. I have this inkling, if Nepal is going to be a sort of GUJARAT of India. I am getting negative vibes now.

"One of the poorest, land locked , capital locked countries of the world". To add further to the woes  of this description, a  threat of rise in the tribal/ethnic riots. 

I do not have a foggiest idea in my mind for any positive change. How do we get rid of this then? Well, let us all declare the 601 members of the constituent assembly as the " Most unwanted people of the country". 

What further can we do then? Well, get rid of everything that is hindering our progress. Throw away the government, end  the  bureaucracy and liberate the nation. By doing so, I am starting to believe that our nation will no more be landlocked or capital locked. We will not have to set targets to bring in a million tourists. We will not have to worry about poverty and unemployment.  

Nepal with an open border between India and China can clearly call an attention of the world. With a hassle free country to move about, a market that can cater to more than half of the population of the world; I wonder who would not want to invest here.

I often thought about the security of our nation. Well, with all the mighty powers settling in my land to cater to the largest market of the world. With millions of people moving in and out of my country; the presence of the international community would be too strong. I wonder, who would really dare to encroach our territory.  

We will not have state mechanism to meddle with people's affairs. No politicians to blame for the deficiencies of the market. Yes, there will be inefficiency. But we will have options to choose. Our choice; the choice of the market will correct them. Ah! what a beautiful and prosperous country Nepal would be. 

Did I say I do not like politics? Politics rule the roost of all the things we consume. But we do not need the huge number of dumb people that consume all the resources and energy . They are our biggest expenses.   Let  us  begin with the first step; declare the 601 as the " Most unwanted people " of our nation.

Death of a street boy

He is dead

and now he lay at rest

there upon that little bed of dirts

his solemn stillness, the calm face looked as though to smile

Because for him,

to live was no great.

He is gone for a sleep so deep

into that slumber so beautiful

with no trace of pains, din and bustle to bear

so majestic a sleep can be

no superiors might have ever slept

the cold stiff body,calm expressionless face

seemed to tell me

He always dreamt of beautiful deaths.

So fresh a creature he looks

as he used to be when he trotted around

among the heap of dirts beside my house

embedded with elations when he found tin cans and metals

that day he would laugh gaily

to all those who looked with such coldness as he is today.

As the dusk prepares to welcome the night

Many street pupil begin to come

the bodies in rags cried a lot

There among the crowd were also the gentlemen

Drivers stopped by, people dismounted from their cars to take a look

But then someone said

"Ah! what a beautiful sleep

no God might have ever slept".